Rail clamp



Aug. 19, 1924. 1,505,345

" L. F. HEPTNER RAIL CLAMP Filed Harsh 20 .l 1924 Y B7 'mi Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

" Tas rarer RAIL CLAMP.

Application led March 20, 1924:, Serial'No. 700,592. l

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, LEOPOLD F. HFPTNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to rail clamps especially adapted for use on mine ties.

An object of the invention is to provide reversible clamps to permit expeditious change if the portion of the clamp, which impinges the rail base,` breaks or is otherwise rendered unsuitable for use.

Another object of the invention is to provide rail clamps the rail base impinging portions of which are detachable' to permit removal of the same and replacement without changing the position of the rail or tie.

@ther objects of the invention will be ap parent from the following description of the present preferred forms of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. l is a plan view of a rail clamp constructed in accordance with this invenw tion illustrating its application;

Fig. 2 shows a clamp in side elevation on one side of a rail and in vertical section on the opposite side of the rail, a portion of the tie being broken away to disclose details; and

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the rail clamp illustrating its application.

In the drawings, in order to illustrate the application of this invention a mine tie 5 is shown which may be o-f conventional design and which has a rail 6 superimposed thereon in a manner well known in the art. The rail clamp constructed in accordance with this invention as shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3 consists of a threaded shank 7 one end of which has an elongated head 8` formed thereon. The shank 7 is engageable through a complemental opening formed in the top of the tie 5 adjacent the base [lange of the rail. The head engages thebottom faceof the top of the tie 5. The portion of the clamp which impinges on the base ange of the rail consists of a body 9 which is in appreciably spaced from the opposite sides of thetie 5 topermit the base flanges of the rail to be yconveniently engaged beneath said lugs and likewise to permit rotative movement of the body 9 on its shank with;

out changing the position of the rail on the tie.

The body 9 yand shank 7 are provided with openings which are adapted to align for the reception of ya'cotter pin l2. The cotter pin prevents rotative movement of the body 9 on its shank in an apparent manner.

In use of the clamp it lis manifest kthat the body 9i is threaded on the shank 7 until one of the lugs l() impinges on the upper face of the base flange of the rail. The co-'tter pin 12 is then engaged through the body and shank. It is of course toy be understood thatv if desired or found necessary a plurality of corresponding openings may be yformed in the body 9 and shank 7 80 so that the body may betightened up when desired and still locked by the cot-ter pin. When one of the lugs 10 wears out, breaks olf or the like,the body 9 may berotated v 0n the shank 7 until the opposite luglen- 85 gages the base flange of the rail.

bviously, various changes may be made 1n this device especially in the details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What is claimed is 1. A rail clamp for mine ties including a shankengageable through the tie and equipped witha body engageable with the shank, said body including a pair of projections andbeing rotatable while in operative position on the tie to urge either of said projections into engagement with the rail base;

2. A rail clamp for mine ties including a headed shank engageable through the bottomr of Ithe minetie to dispose the shank above the top ofthe latter, and a clamping body threaded on said shank and including shank and embodying a pair of ings either a pair of lugs either of which is engageable of which is engageable With the base ange with the base flange of the rail. of the rail, and means engageable through 10 3. A rail clamp for mine ties including Said body and shank to lock said body from 5 a headed sha-nk engageable through the tie movement.

to dispose said shank above the top of the latter, a Clamping body threaded on Said LEOPOLD F. HEPTNER. 

